Leviticus 13:49

49 and the infection is greenish or reddish on the clothing, the weaving, or the skin or skin item, it is an infection of skin disease. It must be shown to the priest.

Leviticus 13:49 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 13:49

And if the plague be greenish or reddish the garment, or in
the skin
Either of these two colours were signs of leprosy in garments; but it is not agreed whether stronger or weaker colours are designed; the radicals of both these words being doubled, according to some, and particularly Aben Ezra, lessen the sense of them; and so our translators understand it; but, according to Ben Gersom, the signification is increased thereby, and the meaning is, if it be exceeding green or exceeding red; and this is evidently the sense of the Misnah ^F16; garments are defiled by green in greens, and by red in reds, that is, by the greenest and reddest; the green, the commentators say ^F17, is like that of the wings of peacocks and leaves of palm trees, and the red like crimson or scarlet; and now these garments or skins, in which the green or red spots appeared, must be white, and not coloured or dyed: the canon runs thus ^F18; skins and garments dyed are not defiled with plagues (of leprosy); a garment whose warp is dyed, and its woof white, or its woof dyed, and its warp white, all goes according to the sight; that is, according to what colour to the eye most prevails, whether white or dyed:

either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything of the skin;
the same held good of these as of a garment, or anything else made of them:

it [is] a plague of leprosy;
it has the signs of one, and gives great suspicion that it is one:

and shall be shewed unto the priest;
by the person in whose possession it is, that it may be examined and judged of whether it is a leprosy or no.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Misn. Negaim, c. 11. sect. 4.
F17 Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Edaiot, c. 7. sect. 8.
F18 Misn. ut supra, (c.11.) sect. 3, 4.

Leviticus 13:49 In-Context

47 Whenever there is an infection of skin disease on clothing—on wool or linen clothing,

48 in the weaving of the linen or wool, or on a skin or skin item—

49 and the infection is greenish or reddish on the clothing, the weaving, or the skin or skin item, it is an infection of skin disease. It must be shown to the priest.

50 The priest will examine the infection and quarantine the infected item seven days.

51 On the seventh day he will examine the infection again. If the infection has spread in the clothing, the weaving, or the skin, whatever it is used for, the infection is a case of infectious skin disease; the item is unclean.